Fans were devastated when Derek Shephard AKA McDreamy was killed off on Grey's Anatomy five years ago - and so it stands to reason that his return to the show was met with elation - and some confusion!
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Chatting on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Patrick Dempsey revealed how they wrote in his character's return - and no, he hadn't faked his death nor was he appearing as a ghost around the hospital (we see you, Denny).
WATCH: Patrick explains Derek's return to the show
He explained: "Ellen [Pompeo] and I got together in July and we were like, 'What can we do to get people to wear masks, how can we make an impact?' ... and she said, 'What do you think about coming back onto the show?
"To the credit of the writers, Krista [Vernoff] came up with this concept where I would come and visit her in a COVID dream."
Were you surprised to see the return of Derek?
He continued: "The response has been incredibly overwhelming and very moving." Ellen joked: "You made everyone cry five years ago when you died, then everyone cried again when you returned."
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Fans were indeed somewhat devastated by brief Derek's return, with one writing: "OMG WHAT JUST HAPPENED IM SOBBING NONONONO DEREK #GreysAnatomy," while another added: "Me rewatching the Derek/Meredith scene for the 684th time and... sobbing each time bc I've never seen anything more... beautiful."
Are you pleased to see Derek back on the sho?
Another person tweeted: "CURRENTLY SOBBING. TELL ME I DID NOT JUST SEE DEREK AFTER I FOUND OUT THAT AMELIA NAMED THEIR KID DEREK."
Krista revealed that this isn't a one-time cameo, telling Los Angeles Times: "We will see more of [Derek] this season. This was not just a cameo. He will appear three more times."
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